Boise State Football: 4 Teams the Broncos Can't Afford To Play for BCS Title

The Boise State Broncos are a great football team. Boise State also plays in the Western Athletic Conference. To some, these statements are almost mutually exclusive. Can a truly great football team emerge from such a weak conference? That's the raging football debate this season.

In the first BCS poll, the Broncos are at #3, a number they have known all too well this season. Should Oklahoma or Oregon lose a game though, they'll be moving right into that #2 spot.

Let's say that they do make it into the BCS Championship Game in January. The story doesn't end there, as they have to win the game to prove they belong. Unfortunately, there's more to this as well. It can't be just any team that they face. There are some matchups that, if Boise State wins the championship, there will still be people bickering.

Four in particular stand out in this regard, where if they face each other in the championship, it will not help Boise State earn the respect they deserve.

TCU

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FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 16: Head coach Gary Patterson of the TCU Horned Frogs takes to the field with offensive guard Josh Vernon #78 and tackle Zach Roth #70 against the BYU Cougars at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. (

The odds of this matchup happening are pretty much zero, but let's say it does. This would be terrible for both teams in trying to show that they deserve the same respect the big schools get.

For starters, by not playing that big conference team in the championship, it doesn't help either cause. Beyond that, the two have already faced each other in their last two bowl games. Who wants to see a third matchup? I don't, I want both these teams facing the major conferences.

Ohio State

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MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 16: Terrelle Pryor #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rushes against Kevin Claxton #37 of the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin defeated Ohio State 31-18. (Photo by Jonathan Dan

This one is not going to happen now, given Ohio State's loss to Wisconsin. However, let's say it were to happen. Simply put, Ohio State in the past few years has played Florida, LSU, and Texas in bowl games, the first two in the BCS Championship. They've lost each time, and made the Big Ten seem weak in comparison to the SEC.

You'd be putting a team in the championship game that's already lost two in recent years. Losing three would move the focus from "Boise State's actually a legit great team" to "Ohio State can't get it done no matter who it is."

Michigan State

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ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 09: Edwin Baker #4 of the Michigan State Spartans scores on a 61 yard touchdown in the second quarter during the game against the Michigan Wolverines during the game on October 9, 2010 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Th

The rationale for this selection mainly applies to Ohio State, who as just mentioned has not been clutch in championship games. How does this relate to Michigan State, aside from them being in the same conference?

Well, their non-conference schedule was pretty much a pushover; Notre Dame is the only one of the four that's been any good this season. While the Big Ten has been much better this season, you know that a Boise State win over Michigan State will lead to calls of the Big Ten not being clutch, rather than Boise State simply getting a win over what is a very good team.

Oregon

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 2: Wide receiver Jeff Maehl #23, quarterback Darron Thomas #1 and wide receiver Lavasier Tuinei #80 of the Oregon Ducks celebrate after Thomas scored a touchdown in the third quarter of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Autzen

This is actually very likely to occur, and as a result it greatly worries me.

Two years ago, the Broncos faced Oregon and won 37-32. Last year, two two again played each other, and Boise again won, 19-8. While there's no question that Oregon is a much improved team, the same is true of Boise State this year.

If the two face each other, it's lose-lose for Boise. If they win, they just beat a team they've beaten two seasons in a row. If they lose, then they're not cut out for the championship game because they can't beat a Pac-10 team.